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Life After Cigarettes (weight management after smoking cessation)
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Why go indie?
I've come to indie authorship late in my writing career, and although it has its drawbacks compared with conventional publishing (they take care of a lot of the hard stuff for you), there is also much to love about it. In particular, having control over the interval between finishing a manuscript and ordering the paperback or kindle edition on amazon means everything at my age. Everything. As an indie author I am not under contract to produce one book per year, no more, no less, I'm free to keep as many projects afloat as I can keep track of.
I'm currently working on the second edition of my book on Project Diana and my Jersey Shore childhood, the golden anniversary re-issue of a study on early autobiographies of women, and a book of essay-memoirs on the general topic of turning eighty. If you'd like to be notified when they are available, please message me through this website.
I'm currently working on the second edition of my book on Project Diana and my Jersey Shore childhood, the golden anniversary re-issue of a study on early autobiographies of women, and a book of essay-memoirs on the general topic of turning eighty. If you'd like to be notified when they are available, please message me through this website.
Work in progress
MY TWO-PART JERSEY SHORE SERIES
I was born during the darkest moments of World War II and then lived for my first thirteen years on the eastern coast of central New Jersey in the shadow of the Cold War. My father, who worked for the Army and later in private industry as a radar specialist, served as chief scientist on Project Diana, the first successful effort to bounce radio waves off the moon.
My pandemic project, a father-daughter memoir entitled To the Moon and Back: The Life and Times of Project Diana (indie-published in 2021; now out of print) grew out of several years of blogging about Project Diana and about growing up on the Jersey Shore in postwar America. Since then, I have acquired enough new material that it is time for a second edition. And because there is considerable non-overlap between the audiences for the Project Diana story, on the one hand, and my reminiscences about my Jersey Shore childhood, on the other. I have decided to separate the conjoined twins:
I was born during the darkest moments of World War II and then lived for my first thirteen years on the eastern coast of central New Jersey in the shadow of the Cold War. My father, who worked for the Army and later in private industry as a radar specialist, served as chief scientist on Project Diana, the first successful effort to bounce radio waves off the moon.
My pandemic project, a father-daughter memoir entitled To the Moon and Back: The Life and Times of Project Diana (indie-published in 2021; now out of print) grew out of several years of blogging about Project Diana and about growing up on the Jersey Shore in postwar America. Since then, I have acquired enough new material that it is time for a second edition. And because there is considerable non-overlap between the audiences for the Project Diana story, on the one hand, and my reminiscences about my Jersey Shore childhood, on the other. I have decided to separate the conjoined twins:
1) MOONBOUNCE: PROJECT DIANA AND THE BIRTH OF RADIO ASTRONOMY
This one is for Project Diana enthusiasts, be they hams, students of military or political history, or unabashed lovers of the truly wonderful Project Diana story who share my conviction that the feat deserves more recognition than it has heretofore received. In addition to a new title, this volume will feature new information on Project Diana, including previously unknown details on the nature of Major Howard Armstrong's involvement in this effort.
The kindle edition of Volume 1 of the 2nd edition will be released on January 10, 2026, the 80th anniversary of Project Diana's first successful moonbounce.
2) MY JERSEY SHORE GIRLHOOD: COMING OF AGE IN POSTWAR AMERICA
This book is for deep-dyed nostalgia buffs as well as for students of the unique sociology of postwar America, which is quite possibly collapsing as we speak. Some of the essays are new or have been completely reworked; but no worries, my Toni doll, my Islander ukulele, and my parakeet Archie are still there.
This one is for Project Diana enthusiasts, be they hams, students of military or political history, or unabashed lovers of the truly wonderful Project Diana story who share my conviction that the feat deserves more recognition than it has heretofore received. In addition to a new title, this volume will feature new information on Project Diana, including previously unknown details on the nature of Major Howard Armstrong's involvement in this effort.
The kindle edition of Volume 1 of the 2nd edition will be released on January 10, 2026, the 80th anniversary of Project Diana's first successful moonbounce.
2) MY JERSEY SHORE GIRLHOOD: COMING OF AGE IN POSTWAR AMERICA
This book is for deep-dyed nostalgia buffs as well as for students of the unique sociology of postwar America, which is quite possibly collapsing as we speak. Some of the essays are new or have been completely reworked; but no worries, my Toni doll, my Islander ukulele, and my parakeet Archie are still there.
"RESIGNING THE NEEDLE FOR THE PEN"
I'm also working on the Golden Anniversary edition of my 1974 study of early autobiographical writings of British women. The title is derived from a frequently-used metaphor involving the competing claims of a signature women's tool and a more gender-neutral implement of self-expression.
The book started life as my doctoral dissertation at the University of Pennsylvania The topic-was almost completely uncharted territory at the time, and despite its humble beginnings, it eventually developed a bit of a cult following. It has now been downloaded hundreds of times from the Penn Libraries Scholarly Commons.
Fifty (plus) years later, through the miracle of indie publishing, I am able to provide the convenience and portability of a paperback version at a modest price. Watch for it later this year.
For a sneak peek at the Preface to the new edition, click HERE.
I'm also working on the Golden Anniversary edition of my 1974 study of early autobiographical writings of British women. The title is derived from a frequently-used metaphor involving the competing claims of a signature women's tool and a more gender-neutral implement of self-expression.
The book started life as my doctoral dissertation at the University of Pennsylvania The topic-was almost completely uncharted territory at the time, and despite its humble beginnings, it eventually developed a bit of a cult following. It has now been downloaded hundreds of times from the Penn Libraries Scholarly Commons.
Fifty (plus) years later, through the miracle of indie publishing, I am able to provide the convenience and portability of a paperback version at a modest price. Watch for it later this year.
For a sneak peek at the Preface to the new edition, click HERE.
MY YEAR OF TURNING EIGHTY: COLLECTED ESSAYS
My Year of Turning Eighty is a mashup of a 28-day love letter to the month of February, little epiphanies that capture my current outlook on life, family history narratives that keep me feeling connected to my past, and various other essays in need of being collected. If you've read the original edition of my pandemic book To the Moon and Back, now out of print, you already know what you're getting into here. The memoir-essay genre feels just about right to me at this point in my life. It lets me say what I need to say about a broad range of topics--sometimes in just a handful of sentences, sometimes in quite a lot of them--and then keep right on moving. After all, now that I'm in my eighties, it's time to get to the point if ever I'm going to.
My Year of Turning Eighty is a mashup of a 28-day love letter to the month of February, little epiphanies that capture my current outlook on life, family history narratives that keep me feeling connected to my past, and various other essays in need of being collected. If you've read the original edition of my pandemic book To the Moon and Back, now out of print, you already know what you're getting into here. The memoir-essay genre feels just about right to me at this point in my life. It lets me say what I need to say about a broad range of topics--sometimes in just a handful of sentences, sometimes in quite a lot of them--and then keep right on moving. After all, now that I'm in my eighties, it's time to get to the point if ever I'm going to.